Google Lens is an immensely powerful image recognition tool that lets you visually search the world around you. You can reverse search images, identify plants and animals, scan codes, extract and translate text, and a lot more. Originally limited to smartphones, Google expanded this powerful tool to the desktop via the Chrome browser integration last year. And soon it will be integrated into the Google Search bar on the desktop.

Currently, Google Lens on the desktop can be accessed from Chrome’s context menu. But as spotted by 9to5Google, Google is adding the Google Lens shortcut in the Google Search bar on the desktop. Users who have received the feature as part of A/B testing are seeing a colorful Google Lens icon appearing in the search box right next to the microphone button. When you tap on the Lens icon, it brings up an image picker window. From there, you can drag and drop or manually upload an image to search with Google Lens. Your uploaded images will be shown on the left side while relevant search results appear on the right side. Just like the mobile version, the tool will also let you crop or focus on a specific portion of the image.

The Lens shortcut in Google Search hasn’t rolled out widely on the desktop. Google Chrome for Android already has Google Lens integrated into the search bar so bringing it to the desktop version comes as a natural expansion.

Google is also planning to bring an improved Google Lens experience to the desktop that will let users see search results in the same tab. Right now, when you look up an image with Google Lens, results open up in a new browser tab.

As the third COVID-19 wave continues, theatres and cinema halls remain shut in various states. In the present situation, many filmmakers and producers are opting for an OTT release for their big budgeted projects.

From Looop Lapeta to Dhanush’s Maaran and Shakun Batra’s Gehraiyaan, February is bringing along a wide range of movies to satiate your weekend blues. Take a look.

Big OTT releases in February
Gehraiyaan
The upcoming Shakun Batra directorial, Gehraiyaan, will star Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dgairya Karwa in pivotal roles. Padukone will take on the role of Alisha, who engages in the act of infidelity with Zain (Chaturvedi), her sister’s fiance. The film is scheduled to premiere on 11 February 2022.

Maaran
Dhanush and Malavika Mohan starrer Maaran is an upcoming action thriller written and directed by Karthick Naren. It is slated to come out in February via Disney+ Hotstar. It also stars Samuthirakani, Smruthi Venkat, Krishnakumar Balasubramanian as well as Mahendran in supporting roles.

Looop Lapeta
Taapsee Pannu and Tahir Raj Bhasin starrer will chronicle Savi and Satya’s passionate love tale as they race against time. The Aakash Bhatia directorial is the Hindi-language remake of German filmmaker Tom Tykwer’s 1998 classic movie Run Lola Run. The film will come out on the OTT platform Netflix on 4 February 2022.

My Best Friend Anne Frank
The Dutch drama, My Best Friend Anne Frank, directed by Ben Sombogaart, tells the story of the friendship between Hanneli Goslar and Anne Frank. The film will be premiering internationally on 1 February 2022, via Netflix. It is the first Dutch cinema film about the life of Anne Frank, one of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust under Nazi Germany. It is based on American author Alison Leslie Gold’s Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend.

One Cut Two Cut
Produced by late actor Puneeth Rajkumar’s PRK Productions, One Cut Two Cut stars Danish Sait in the lead role. The satirical comedy will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on February 3. In the film, Danish plays the role of Gopi, an arts and crafts teacher who tries to save school children.

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On its seventh weekend, Pushpa [Hindi] has entered the 100 Crore Club. With that, it has turned out to be the first-ever film in history (since the inception of the 100 Crore Club) to start at 3.33 crores and then go on to hit a century. Prior to this, the record for a 100 Crore Club earner with the lowest ever opening day was also held by a dubbed south film. Then too, history was created, as Baahubali: The Beginning started at 5.15 crores and then went on to score a century, and go furthermore with 117 crores as its lifetime run.

In the case of Pushpa [Hindi], the journey is all the more remarkable since it has managed to achieve this feat during the pandemic when there is a closure of cinemas, restrictions, curbs, and general fear factor. Still, the film has done the unthinkable and the best part is that it is still in the running and would continue so till at least 11th February when Badhaai Do arrives. Before that, it could well cover some lost ground in Delhi and Haryana where theatres have just reopened. The best showcasing is for Pushpa [Hindi] and that is further boosting collections.

That was seen over the weekend gone by as well when 2 crores* more came in, hence bringing the film to 100 crores*. With 10 open days ahead of it, there is more to come in and that would allow the film to at least cross 103 crores and perhaps go even a bit ahead than that.

I was thrilled yesterday I for the first time hit the 16 km or the 10 miles brisk walk barrier. My grandmother was admitted to the Max Hospital which is on the outskirts of Rajpur road near the Mansi deer park. It is was a 16 km walk both ways. I stopped for an hour to see my grandmother and had some poha with sambhar. I then trudged back to my home at Inder Road the walk to the hospital was tough as it was on an incline the entire Rajpur Road was on an incline and it was 8km up the hill a steep walk. That really tested my stamina, I did stop over to sit on the many benches on either side of the road. But tugged on listening to the music and watching the traffic, either way, the entire walk was done in one go and I am proud of it. I did get a couple of blisters on two of my toes but it is not as bad now as it used to be when I first started walking. My toes have gotten sued to it as I have also completed my 100 days of starting my fat to fit health routine.

I did manage to get some shopping done on the way nuts, seeds mango papad, and also mixed grain flour. The two chapatis I have made from this new mixed grain flour are very nourishing and the roti comes out thick and very nutritious. I am going to use mixed grain flour from now on and binge on nuts along with grapes and cherries. My focus is on lentils and greens along with fish of all kinds. To add extra roughage I much on a corn cob in the afternoon, I make sure my walking is brisk so that I sweat and that shows on my t shit when I come back home. The idea is to increase the walking average by 1 kilometer at least month on month. My November average was 8.8 km, my December average was 9.8 km and my Jan average is 11 km. That takes care of my calories burning.

I have added mat exercises stomach crunches and dumbbells exercises which I do every day and sometimes even twice a day. I have been doing it for the last ten days and now I can do 30 stomach crunches without getting tired or exhausted, it’s all in the breathing. I manage three sets of 30 each dumbbell exercises along with light stretches on the mat. Dals yellow, black and rajma are my favorite, along with a bowl of curd or goat cheese with sardines or tuna.

I have dropped chicken, lamb, and mutton totally and do indulge in eggs once or twice a week but that too only boiled eggs. I have started having green tea twice or thrice a day as it is cold in the winter and the tea helps in soothing my throat and palate. No rice no potatoes and no sugar for me instead  I have honey.

I do also have two teaspoons of apple cider with water they say it helps in cutting fat and losing weight.

Clocked another 11.5 km of brisk walking today as I meandered across the Tibetan Market which was founded in 1989 almost 23 years back I was then in the ninth standard in Welham Boys barely thirteen years old . I still remember buying packets of Pondy cards with pictures of naked women wearing a bikini , we would play rummy with these ponds cards they where a rage amongst the students . I then walked across the road and ahead was the St Francis Church an old and famous worshipping place for the local Catholic Community .

I took some snaps and payed my respects to the statue of Mother Mary and Jesus Christ on the cross .My close friends have begun to notice my weight loss and are happy at my achievement of having lost 7kgs in more than 14 weeks. Today I also did some jogging and running but not for that long it was my first day of jogging today and I felt it was not so much of a strain for me .

My meals give me enough energy to let me do the amount of walking that I do , I constantly keep changing my walking route.. My 16 km walk to Max Hospital dd cause a few blisters one just under my big toe and the other on one of the smaller toe fingers . My feet down hurt as much but the blisters have emerged again especially when ic over large distances of 14 plus km of walking in a day . I guess it’s my toes telling me to take it easy. I have taken some snaps of my blister and one of them is too fat with water filled in it . On constant walking then will burst and the skin will peel off , I will have to use antiseptic powder to heal the skin and the abrasion that a burst blister causes on the toe .

Till then enjoy the snaps of my blisters and the church .

I took some videos and photographs of my yoga mat exercises that I do now regularly once a day without fail. I did 30 stomach crunches today and three sets of thirty dumbbell exercises, these days I use a 2 kg dumbbell and as I get better at it I may increase it to a 4 kg dumbbell soon within a month.

I also intend to start jogging and do some light running from next month and will be adding skipping to my exercise routine. My commitment to brisk walking remains the backbone of my weight loss program and I intend to increase my monthly average by 1 km month on month. My average at the end of Jan is 11 km of walk every day.

Till then enjoy the videos and snaps of my exercise routine.

In the digital world, people are used to tech-based gadgets more than ever. The motto is to make any work less laborious and less time-consuming. Among so many gadgets, there are some that are based on artificial intelligence. Here are the top 10 coolest AI-based Gadgets that you can use this year.

Self-operating Drones
Drones need to have some level of autonomy to stop them from falling out of the sky or ramming straight into a tree, and it’s all thanks to AI that drones like the DJI Phantom 4 Advanced can pilot themselves as and when needed. The Phantom 4 Advanced, similar to several other models, is smart enough to pick you out from a crowd and take a selfie of you without you having to do anything laborious. The same kind of intelligent tech enables it to identify a quickly approaching obstacle, so it can swerve to avoid it – all thanks to the onboard image processing AI.

Google Home
All of that high-level programming and engineering filters its way down to the Google Assistant, which comes built into the Google Home as well as a growing number of other devices. When your speaker recognizes your voice, that’s AI at work – machine learning identifying the characteristics of your speech even if you’re saying words that it hasn’t heard you say before. A different kind of artificial intelligence is deployed to make sense of what you’re actually saying, to work out which words in which order and which context should prompt which responses. You can’t yet chat to a smart speaker quite as easily as a human being, but when you can, it’ll be because of AI engineering.

KODA AI Robot Dog
If you can’t have a real dog, you can always go for the KODA AI Robot Dog. It interacts with people the same way a real puppy does. This self-evolutional robot dog has a decentralized platform, acts as an emotional companion, and can even provide physical support.

Nobi Smart Lamp
If you have a family member who lives independently, the Nobi Smart Lamp can give them peace of mind. This practical gadget looks like a ceiling lamp and automatically detects falls. It then notifies emergency contacts, getting your loved ones the help they need at the right time.

Morebot Scout: AI-Powered Smart Home Robot
Great for home security, the Morebot Scout AI-Powered Smart Home Robot, has enough sensors and AI algorithms to eliminate blind spots. Even better, you can control it via Alexa and Amazon.

Zmirror All-in-One Smart Mirror
The Zmirror All-in-One Smart Mirror is smart enough to analyze your skin health and improve your productivity. And that’s exactly why you want to have it on your nightstand or by your bathroom sink. Plus, you’ll get superb audio for all your YouTube videos, Kindle books, and more with the Harmon Kardon speakers.

Square Off Grand Kingdom Set Smart AI Chessboard
The Square Off Grand Kingdom Set Smart AI Chessboard is a smart game. It uses robotics, sensors, and artificial intelligence to move the chess pieces on its own. And it even lets you play chess with anyone in the world. With 20 different levels of difficulty, it allows you to play at your own competitiveness.

Tempo Studio AI Home Gym
With the Tempo Studio AI Home Gym, AI gets you into shape. It lets you access live and on-demand workouts for personalized guidance. It’s just like having a personal trainer who’s available 24/7. It also comes with all the equipment you need like two dumbbells, a barbell, a recovery roller, plates, and more.

PowerVisionPowerEgg X Explorer AI Personal Camera
The PowerVisionPowerEgg X Explorer AI Personal Camera has the technology to recognize faces and objects. It learns from you and knows what to zoom in on. So, while you waterski, this drone focuses on you and not the seagull floating next to you.

Samsung JetBot 90 AI+ Robotic Vacuum
With its AI-based sensors and navigation, the Samsung JetBot 90 AI+ Robotic Vacuum may be the smartest vacuum you’ve ever met. It has a LiDAR sensor that detects distance and location, while a 3D sensor recognizes small and fragile objects. Finally, an object recognition algorithm maps the best cleaning route.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s latest directorial Gangubai Kathiawadi, which was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is finally hitting the screens.

The film starring Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn will grace the theatres on February 25th.

“Witness her reign in cinemas near you on 25th February 2022. #GangubaiKathiawadi ,” announced the makers.

The joint production venture of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Dr. Jayantilal Gada will have its world premiere at the prestigious 72nd Berlin International Film Festival.

Gangubai Kathiawadi is a biographical crime drama set in the 1960s, which revolves around the life of Gangubai who became one of the most powerful women from Kamathipura.

The film also stars Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi in important roles.

A case has been registered against Google CEO Sundar Pichai and five others from the tech giant over the alleged copyright infringement of a Bollywood movie on YouTube.

Bollywood filmmaker Suneel Darshan in his complaint against Mr Pichai said that he has not sold the rights of his 2017 film ‘Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha’ to anyone or released it, however, it is running on YouTube with millions of views.

He claimed that the content has been “blatantly” used with over a billion infringements and a huge amount of money is being made by the illegal uploading of his film.

“I hold Sundar Pichai responsible since he represents Google. I have tracked over 1 billion views of my ‘Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha’ have been recorded. No action has been taken despite this concern being raised with the company,” Mr Darshan said.

Along with Mr Pichai, Gautam Anand ( head of youtube), Joe Grier- Grievance officer and four employees of the tech giant are among the officials named in the FIR.

Meta-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp has finally rolled out the ability for iPhone users to pause and resume their voice note recordings. The feature has been in beta since some time and allows users to listen to their voice before they can send an audio note. The feature comes as WhatsApp is reportedly bringing several new features to the instant messaging platform like the ability to transfer chats from an Android phone to an iPhone, in-app customer service chats, and more.

The latest feature for iOS users allows them to pause whatever they are recording for a voice note and listen to it before they send. Users can also resume their recording, in case they want to extend the message they are trying to send out. The new feature comes with WhatsApp version 22.7.75 on iOS. “You can now pause and resume while recording voice messages. Try it out by swiping up to lock a recording, and then tap the “pause” and “resume” buttons,” the app store listing of the latest update says.

To try out the new feature, users need to swipe up and lock their voice recording, then there are new pause and play buttons that users can tap for testing out the new features. The feature has been in testing since October last year. A WABetaInfo report had earlier said that the feature will be available for end users in a future build, which is releasing now. It is not known as to when Android users will get this feature, but reports suggest it could be as early as in the coming few days.

WhatsApp is also working on a feature that will allow users to import their chats from an Android smartphone to a new iPhone. Currently, new iPhone users have no way of transferring their WhatsApp chats from an Android phone to iPhone. However, this changed last year as WhatsApp brought the ability to move chats to an iPhone from some Samsung and Google Pixel smartphones. Now, the company seems to be expanding this feature to more Android phones.